Holocaust Survivor & Former Hitler Youth Unite

Forty years ago, Holocaust survivor Helen Waterford and former Hitler Youth leader Alfons Heck began an extraordinary partnership. Traveling to over 150 universities across the United States and Canada during the 1980s, they shared their deeply contrasting experiences of World War II. Their goal was to 'set the record straight' and warn students that the horrors of Nazi Germany were not distant history and could recur.

Waterford, a Jewish woman who fled Germany and later survived Auschwitz, found an unlikely ally in Heck, who had been a devoted member of the Hitler Youth. Despite their initial animosity, they united to confront hatred and propaganda. Their presentations, though sometimes met with skepticism, profoundly impacted students, leaving many to reflect on the ease with which extremism can take hold.

Their unique collaboration continued for nine years, culminating in a powerful message about understanding and vigilance. Though both have since passed away—Waterford in 1997 and Heck in 2005—their legacy endures through preserved accounts of their joint efforts to foster reconciliation and prevent future atrocities.